12 December 1933, Douala, Cameroon. Sent to France to complete his education in 1949, Dibango lived in Paris until 1956. By now a proficient saxophonist and classically trained pianist, he then moved to Brussels, Belgium. In Brussels, he played regularly at the Black Angels Club, developing his fusion of jazz and Cameroonian makossa music. In 1960, he joined the band led by
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Olufela Olusegun Oludotun Ransome-Kuti, 15 October 1938, Abeokuta, Nigeria, d. 2 August 1997, Nigeria. Kuti was a primary influence behind the invention and development of Afro-Beat, the west African fusion of agit-prop lyrics and dance rhythms that has been a major medium of social protest for the urban poor since the late 60s.Kuti was born to middle
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Hugh Rampolo Masekela, 4 April 1939, Witbank, Johannesburg, South Africa. South Africas leading émigré trumpeter and band leader was born into a musical family, which boasted one of the largest jazz record collections in the city. One of Masekelas earliest memories is of winding up the household gramophone for his parents; by the age of 10, he was
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Taking their name from the Spanish for bullet proof or anti-bullets, Bushwick, Brooklyn, USA-based collective Antibalas are comprised of around 15 (slightly fluctuating) core members though this can often expand to in excess of 20 musicians. Members have included Martín Perna (baritone saxophone), Duke Amayo (vocals, percussion), Victor Axelrod (k
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12 August 1940, Lagos, Nigeria. While Africa is justly famed for its percussionists, the continent has produced only a limited number of outstanding kit drummers - not surprisingly, given most African band leaders preference for traditional drum and percussion sounds. Nigerias Tony Allen, however, along with South Africas Louis Moholo, is deservedly ranked
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This London, England-based band coined the phrase nyah rock. Their musical influences included soul, afrobeat, reggae and calypso, and they were widely considered the roots alternative to Osibisa. The variable line-up centred around the duo of Patrick Patterson (guitar, organ, vocals) and Stephen Scipio (bass), who enrolled the services of like-minded individuals in
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Sunday Adeniyi, 1 September 1946, Oshogbo, Nigeria. When Ade dropped out of school in 1963 in order to play with semi-professional Lagos juju bands, his parents - from the royal family of Ondo - were horrified. In Nigeria, as in much of Africa, music was regarded by respectable people as a very low-caste occupation. Ades subsequent national and internationa
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William Cobham, 16 May 1944, Panama. Cobham began playing drums while growing up in New York City, to where his family had moved while he was still a small child. He studied at the citys High School of Music before entering military service. In the army he played in a band and by the time of his discharge had achieved a high level of proficiency. In the late 60s he pla
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William Correa, 28 February 1934, New York City, New York, USA, of Puerto Rican parentage, d. 15 September 1983, Los Angeles, California, USA. Growing up in New Yorks El Barrio, Bobo was exposed to substantial doses of Latin music, jazz and R&B. These genres later jostled together in his work as a band leader. He started playing Latin percussion at the age of 14 (t
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Eumir Deodato Almeida, 21 June 1942, Rio de Janeiro, Brazil. As a child, Deodato (which translates as god given) taught himself to play keyboards and graduated to playing in local pop bands in his teens. He also worked as a session musician (keyboards, bass, guitar) before recording under his own name. His first success came in Brazil with his 1964 solo debut In&
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6 June 1935, St Louis, Missouri, USA, d. 31 January 1979, New York City, New York, USA. Heavily influenced by Charlie Christian, guitarist Green first played professionally with tenor saxophonist Jimmy Forrest and made his recording debut on organist Brother Jack McDuffs classic 1960 session, The Honeydripper. Although noted particularly for his work in organ-guitar-dr
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